Friday night under the lights at the Mendizorrotza, and it’s pouring rain in the Basque Country. If you’re an Alaves fan, you’re probably looking at tonight’s clash with Villarreal and just sighing. The boys are barely keeping their heads above the drop zone. Just two points separate them from the nightmare of relegation, and now they’ve got a Villarreal side rolling into town that’s absolutely desperate to lock down a Champions League spot.
It’s going to be a long night for Quique Sanchez Flores.
Let’s be real for a second. That 3-2 heartbreaker against Valencia last weekend? That was brutal. To lead 2-1 late on and just completely throw it away… that’s the kind of stuff that wrecks a dressing room. And to make matters worse, Ander Guevara and Jon Pacheco managed to get themselves sent off in the chaos. So now, Quique has to patch together a starting XI without two of his main guys against a team sitting fourth in La Liga.
On the flip side, Marcelino has got Villarreal ticking nicely. They just edged past Elche 2-1, keeping a very comfortable cushion in the European spots. Alberto Moleiro and Georges Mikautadze are finding the net for fun. Quite frankly, this Yellow Submarine attack looks like a total mismatch for a leaky Alaves defense that has shipped at least two goals in each of their last three matches.
But here’s the funny thing about Spanish football.
Form goes out the window when the rain starts coming down in Vitoria-Gasteiz. Alaves actually have a bizarrely good home record against Villarreal—the visitors haven’t won at the Mendizorrotza in their last four attempts. Add a wet, heavy pitch to the mix, and maybe, just maybe, Lucas Boyé can pull something out of the hat and snatch a gritty point for the hosts.
But man, it’s going to take a heroic, backs-to-the-wall effort from Antonio Sivera in goal to keep Mikautadze quiet for 90 minutes. I just can’t see the Basque side holding out for the full game with their missing pieces.
My Prediction: Alaves 1-2 Villarreal
